Toddler's Fall From Cruise Ship Brings Up Issues Of Safety

The heartbreaking loss of a toddler who fell from the 11th floor of a docked cruise ship this past week has family and friends absolutely devastated. It was a parent and a grandparent's worst nightmare: Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand was in a play area of a cruise ship when she fell from the 11th floor window. The details of the event are still being explored. Regardless of the investigation of the nature and liability of the event, this was an unthinkable tragedy, and what is known for sure is that this beautiful girl is gone.

Unfortunately, accidents are by far the leading cause of mortality in toddlers ages one to four years. In fact, accidents are also the leading cause of death in children ages five to fourteen as well. Accidental injuries are responsible for over 12,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone in children ages 0 to 19 years. Over 9 million children are treated in emergency departments each year for nonfatal injuries. Among all age groups, motor vehicle-related traffic accidents, including passenger, driver, pedestrian, and cyclist, were the combined number one cause of accidental death. In children under age one year, suffocation is the leading cause of mortality. In children ages one to four years, drowning was the leading cause.

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Falls are a leading cause of nonfatal injury in all pediatric age groups under age 15 years. Close to 3 million children visit emergency departments each year for injuries sustained following a fall. For children under age one year, 50% of nonfatal injuries are due to falls. While efforts for prevention of falls and prevention of injuries from falls in homes, playgrounds, and sports fields have been instituted in recent years (such as protective gear, safer play surfaces, and in-home gates and railing) the horrific event of a fall from a multi-storey structure is not the type of event that these data are referencing.

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There is little centralized data when it comes to cruise ship safety overall. The U.S. Department of Transportation provides cruise line incident reports, including those related to criminal activity. A site called the Maritime Injury Guide, which appears to be an independent entity, provides some pooled statistics from various sources. According to this site, 100 million passengers used cruise lines between 2005 and 2011. The Cruise Line International Association 2017 Annual Report states that 26.6 million passengers embarked on cruise ships in 2016 alone. The Maritime Injury Guide reports 16 cruise-related deaths between 2005 and 2011, and since 2000, they report 300 overboard accidents, with 17 overboard accidents in 2017 alone. As these data are pooled from several sources, the accuracy of these numbers remains unclear. Perhaps a much more well known hazard of cruise ships is gastrointestinal illnesses. Norovirus tends to be the most common culprit, with anywhere from 10 to 15 cruise ship-related norovirus outbreaks each year.

Regardless of the eventual settlement evaluating cause and liability of this week's cruise-related fall, the devastating outcome for this family is unchanged. Accidents of all kinds remain the number one cause of mortality in children, with falls the number one cause of nonfatal injuries. We mourn with this child's family as safety measures on all levels are addressed.